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Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Salad

By Kurma Dasa on 30 Oct 2009
This fresh salad is an amazing accompaniment to any meal. Make sure you have the ripest tomatoes, not the mealy kind the normal grocery stores sell, really red tomatoes that smell like tomatoes.

I tasted this ultra-delicious combination of fresh buffalo-milk mozzarella cheese, slices of ripe tomato, and fresh basil leaves for the first time in Rome. A friend and I were browsing a grocery store when a van pulled up and the driver raced in with a tray of buffalo mozzarella cheese that was so fresh it was floating in still-warm whey. Needless to say it was my most memorable cheese experience.

Do not even dream of substituting the hard yellow coloured cheese that goes by the name mozzarella – it has to be the fresh white stuff, or not at all. If you have no access to fresh mozzarella, then use bocconcini or freshly pressed panir cheese instead. For the best results, select the freshest cheese and tomatoes, aromatic fresh basil leaves, and the best extra virgin olive oil you have.

  • 250g buffalo milk mozzarella, or bocconcini, sliced into 0.5 cm rounds
  • a few fresh basil leaves, shredded for garnish
  • 3 or 4 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes sliced into 0.5cm rounds
  • Sea salt
  • Coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12-15 whole, large fresh basil leaves

    Decoratively arrange the slices of cheese, whole basil leaves and tomato slices in overlapping rings on a serving platter.

    Sprinkle over the salt and the black pepper just before serving, drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil, and garnish with the shredded basil leaves. That’s it!